It’s October, and baseball fans everywhere know what that means: Major League Baseball has entered another postseason that’s bound to be filled with excitement and adversity on the diamond as the league’s best teams go head-to-head in the hunt for a World Series title.
You definitely will not want to miss a swing, strike, slide or homer during the 2026 MLB postseason. Here’s our guide to catching all of the action live on TV.
When did the 2026 MLB Playoffs Start?
The 2026 MLB playoffs started on September 29, 2026, and could run through October 31 if the World Series goes to Game 7. The World Series is scheduled to begin Friday, October 23.
Ready for the MLB playoffs? Get access to the most local MLB games plus national, regional and local sports channels with DIRECTV. Call it a grand slam. Get started now.
How to Watch the 2026 MLB Playoffs
The 2026 MLB Playoffs and World Series will be available to watch across NBC, Peacock, FOX, FS1, TBS, truTV and HBO Max, depending on the round. The Wild Card Series aired across NBC Sports platforms, while the Division Series and League Championship Series are split between FOX Sports and TNT Sports. The World Series will air on FOX.
- NBC: Find your local NBC affiliate
- FOX: Find your FOX affiliate channel
- FOX Sports 1 (FS1): DIRECTV 219
- TBS: DIRECTV 247
- truTV: DIRECTV 246
Here’s a full breakdown of where to watch all of the games in the 2026 MLB Playoffs based on round and league:
| Series | League | Channels/Streaming Services |
| Wild Card Series | All | NBC, Peacock, NBC Sports Network |
| Division Series | American League | TBS, truTV, HBO Max |
| National League | FOX, FS1, FOX One | |
| League Championship Series | American League | TBS, truTV, HBO Max |
| National League | FOX, FS1, FOX One | |
| World Series | – | FOX, FOX One |
2026 MLB Playoffs Full Schedule & Results
*If necessary
Division Series (Oct. 3-10)
The Division Series is a best-of-five series, with the first team to win three games advancing to the League Championship Series.
Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026
- Game 1: Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Guardians — 1 p.m. ET — TBS/truTV/HBO Max
- Game 1: Atlanta Braves at Los Angeles Dodgers — 4 p.m. ET — FOX/FOX One
- Game 1: New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays — 6:30 p.m. ET — TBS/truTV/HBO Max
- Game 1: San Diego Padres at Milwaukee Brewers — 8:30 p.m. ET — FS1/FOX One
Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026
- Game 2: San Diego Padres at Milwaukee Brewers — 4 p.m. ET — FS1/FOX One
- Game 2: Atlanta Braves at Los Angeles Dodgers — 8 p.m. ET — FS1/FOX One
Monday, Oct. 5, 2026
- Game 2: Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Guardians — 5 p.m. ET — TBS/truTV/HBO Max
- Game 2: New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays — 8 p.m. ET — TBS/truTV/HBO Max
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026
- Game 3: Los Angeles Dodgers at Atlanta Braves — 6 p.m. ET — FOX/FS1/FOX One
- Game 3: Milwaukee Brewers at San Diego Padres — 9:30 p.m. ET — FOX/FS1/FOX One
Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026
- Game 3: Cleveland Guardians at Chicago White Sox — 4 p.m. ET — TBS/truTV/HBO Max
- Game 4: Los Angeles Dodgers at Atlanta Braves — 6 p.m. ET — FOX/FS1/FOX One*
- Game 3: Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees — 8 p.m. ET — TBS/truTV/HBO Max
- Game 4: Milwaukee Brewers at San Diego Padres — 10 p.m. ET — FOX/FS1/FOX One*
Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026
- Game 4: Cleveland Guardians at Chicago White Sox — 5 p.m. ET — TBS/truTV/HBO Max*
- Game 4: Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees — 8 p.m. ET — TBS/truTV/HBO Max*
Friday, Oct. 9, 2026
- Game 5: San Diego Padres at Milwaukee Brewers — 4:30 p.m. ET — FOX/FS1/FOX One*
- Game 5: Atlanta Braves at Los Angeles Dodgers — 8 p.m. ET — FOX/FS1/FOX One*
Saturday, Oct. 10, 2026
- Game 5: Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Guardians — 5 p.m. ET — TBS/truTV/HBO Max*
- Game 5: New York Yankees at Tampa Bay Rays — 8 p.m. ET — TBS/truTV/HBO Max*
League Championship Series (Oct. 11-20)
The winners of the Division Series will advance to the League Championship Series, where the final two teams in each league will compete in a best-of-seven series for a spot in the World Series. The National League Championship Series begins October 11, while the American League Championship Series begins October 12.
Sunday, Oct. 11
-
NLCS Game 1: TBD — FOX/FS1/FOX One
Monday, Oct. 12
-
ALCS Game 1: TBD — TBS/truTV/HBO Max
-
NLCS Game 2: TBD — FOX/FS1/FOX One
Tuesday, Oct. 13
-
ALCS Game 2: TBD — TBS/truTV/HBO Max
Wednesday, Oct. 14
-
NLCS Game 3: TBD — FOX/FS1/FOX One
Thursday, Oct. 15
-
ALCS Game 3: TBD — TBS/truTV/HBO Max
-
NLCS Game 4: TBD — FOX/FS1/FOX One
Friday, Oct. 16
-
ALCS Game 4: TBD — TBS/truTV/HBO Max
-
NLCS Game 5: TBD — FOX/FS1/FOX One*
Saturday, Oct. 17
-
ALCS Game 5: TBD — TBS/truTV/HBO Max*
Sunday, Oct. 18
-
NLCS Game 6: TBD — FOX/FS1/FOX One*
Monday, Oct. 19
-
ALCS Game 6: TBD — TBS/truTV/HBO Max*
-
NLCS Game 7: TBD — FOX/FS1/FOX One*
Tuesday, Oct. 20
-
ALCS Game 7: TBD — TBS/truTV/HBO Max*
*If necessary.
2026 World Series (Oct. 23-31)
The 2026 World Series begins Friday, October 23. The American League and National League champions will meet in the best-of-seven series, with all games airing on FOX.
Friday, Oct. 23, 2026
- Game 1: TBD — FOX
Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026
- Game 2: TBD — FOX
Monday, Oct. 26, 2026
- Game 3: TBD — FOX
Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026
- Game 4: TBD — FOX
Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026*
- Game 5: TBD — FOX
Friday, Oct. 30, 2026*
- Game 6: TBD — FOX
Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026*
- Game 7: TBD — FOX
Prior Rounds Results
Wild Card Series (Sept. 29-Oct. 1)
The MLB Wild Card is a best-of-three series. The higher seed maintains home-field advantage throughout the series, with the winner advancing to the Division Series.
Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026
- Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves (NL) — Braves (5-3)
- Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros (AL) — White Sox (6-3)
- Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees (AL) — Yankees (9-0)
- Chicago Cubs at San Diego Padres (NL) — Padres (8-0)
Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026
- Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves (NL) — Phillies (4-3)
- Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros (AL) — White Sox (7-3) — White Sox win series 2-0
- Boston Red Sox at New York Yankees (AL) — Yankees (9-2) — Yankees win series 2-0
- Chicago Cubs at San Diego Padres (NL) — Padres (4-1) — Padres win series 2-0
Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026
- Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves (NL) — Braves (6-2) — Braves win series 2-1
What Teams Are in the 2026 MLB Playoffs?
Here are the teams that made the 2026 MLB postseason. Strikethrough indicates elimination.
American League
National League
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- Atlanta Braves
- San Diego Padres
- Chicago Cubs
- Philadelphia Phillies
Who Won the 2025 World Series?
The Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2025 World Series, defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in seven games to claim their second consecutive World Series title.
Toronto took a 3-2 series lead after winning Games 4 and 5, but Los Angeles fought back with a 3-1 win in Game 6 before taking the decisive Game 7, 5-4. The championship marked the Dodgers’ second straight World Series win after defeating the New York Yankees in 2024.
How Do the MLB Playoffs Work?
The playoffs immediately follow the conclusion of MLB’s 162-game regular season. The top 12 teams move on to the MLB playoffs — six from the American League and six from the National League. The playoffs are contested over four rounds of series between the qualifying teams, starting with the Wild Card Series and ending with the World Series.
The three division winners in each league are seeded 1 through 3 based on their regular-season records. The next three teams with the best records, regardless of division, earn Wild Card spots and are seeded 4 through 6. The top two division winners in each league receive first-round byes and automatically advance to the Division Series.
The 3-seed hosts the 6-seed in the Wild Card Series, while the 4-seed hosts the 5-seed. Each Wild Card matchup is a best-of-three series, with all games played at the higher seed’s ballpark. The winner of the 4- versus 5-seed series advances to face the 1-seed in the Division Series, while the winner of the 3- versus 6-seed series faces the 2-seed.
The Division Series is a best-of-five, followed by the best-of-seven American League and National League Championship Series. The winners of the ALCS and NLCS then meet in the best-of-seven World Series.
Watch the MLB Postseason with DIRECTV
The World Series will be here before you know it, and you don’t want to miss it. And if you don’t want to miss the MLB playoff games leading up to the World Series, you can make sure you catch them all with a subscription to DIRECTV. With the most local MLB games, plus MLB Strike Zone™ and MLB Network®, you’ll have no problem keeping your head in the game.
Interested in a service that lets you access live sports, and only live sports, and includes ESPN Unlimited? Try MySports® Genre Pack® with a 5-day free trial today!
Frequently asked questions
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